Heart Keeping 02 030414

Heart Keepers 002

2.  Deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders.

Paul exposes himself and us in Romans when he speaks of his own struggle with sin.  For some of us this is, well, embarassing.  Paul, the author of 2/3 of the New Testament; a man to whom Christ revealed Himself after His ascention - this pillar of the faith had a constant and pernicious battle with heart eveils and disorders?  Wow, do we even stand a chance?

Yes, we do!  We most certainly do!

But we only have a chance if we desire a chance.  What I mean is we must be motivated somehow to battle (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) each and every heart evil and disorder.

How can we be so motivated?  Flavel uses and interesting term, "Humiliation."  Not humbling but humiliation.  This is a most uncomfortable idea.  We work hard - very hard at never being humiliated and here it's presented as a necessary element in keeping the heart.

But can we be anything other than humiliated when we consider the cross?  When we reflect upon the suffering both physical and spiritual that our Master was willing to endure for our sakes?  Can we not find humiliation in our refusal to be humbled and made contrite?  Can we not find humiliation in our failure to faithfully pursuer godliness and holiness in the face of the cost?

Humiliation requires exposure.  Our deepest sins and secret desires must be exposed for us to have a sense of humiliation.  It is not a casual thing not a common thing.  We work very hard to resist and abait anything that might expose us to humiliation.  We sneak and lie to avoid it.  We critisize and complain to divert attention.  We work very hard to fool others and ourselves.

Humiliation is hard to bear.  But if the cost of not being humiliated is faithlessness, a hindered sanctification or a constant questioning of the veracity of our faith - isn't it reallly worth it?

Note though, it is not the sinful actions that Flavel calls us to humiliate - It is the sins in the heart.  The deep deep recesses of our hearts need to have the light of the Word shone into them so that we may expose - to oursevles at least - the depth of our remaining depravity and disorder.

This is not to be done causally or lightly.  It will be painful and irritating.  You will suffer and struggle.  But is we truly desire to live in the freedom Christ has bought us this must be done.  Without it we remain wounded and bound, cheating ourselves of the freedom Christ paid for.

How?  What are the "mechanics" of such a deep search and the resulting humiliation?  I wish I had an easy answer, a simple "how to."  But each of us much pray earnestly that God will first convict us of the need for such a search and will, by His Word, Spirit and perhaps the guidance of a godly mentor show us our "how."

I can only suggest some things.  The first is, of course, prayer and not a short simple prayer.  This is heart work and a great battle and demands great effort and submission.  I have thought that actually stretching out of the floor in a postion of submission might be of help.  Humbling ourselves physically can be an aid to humbling ouselves spiritually.  Focusing on the target - a deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders - would be critical.  Perhaps, should being prostrate on the floor not seem seemly to you, you could sit and write out your prayer for God to expose these twists in the heart.

Saturating yourself with the Word will be necessary.  The Psalms are replete with prayers of this nature.  Seek them out.  Meditate on them.  Ask God to make these prayers your prayers.

Foremost in all this is to beseach the Holy Spiriti to be the Holy Spirit in this.  Claim the promise of His advocacy and His comfort.  Demand - yes demand, that He work in your heart and your mind to bring the humiliation of exposure so that you may seek God's relief and release form these evils and disorders.

Paul was willng to "beat" his body daily to make it his slave and if he was willing to do that (figuratively) what are we willing to do that our hearts might know the blessed peace of Christ?

I don't believe there is any "magic means" to this goal.  There is no formula, no recipe.  But we have an arsenal of means for communicating with God and hearing from God that we may take up and use in this quest.

I have come to believe that if I take my faith seriously and truly desire to be conformed to His likeness that not only my mind but my heart must be renewed and renewed consistantly and constantly.  I encourage you to pray earnestly for the conviction to seek that deep humiliation for the evils and disorders of the heart that as they are exposed and God addresses them we may be freed so we may remain free.